Tonton (A Hunter Kincaid Novel)

“Let’s get off of here,” John said.

Hunter said, “We still have bad guys on the beach.”

“Not any more.” Hunter looked and saw what John meant. The beach was under water, and all the vehicles were gone. No one was in sight.

“They either fled or drowned. Either way, they’re not today’s problem.”

Hunter got on one side of Randall, and John on the other, and they walked down the pier to find shelter under the Quarterdeck’s overhang. John tried to break into the restaurant to use a landline phone, but it was too well fortified for the storm.

They huddled together and waited like what seemed forever for the storm to pass.

Epilogue

Hurricane Kyle was rated a high Category Three by the weather service, and the damage was in the hundreds of millions.

John and Randall heard little of it. They left for Ruidoso, New Mexico as soon as the airport opened. Hunter sent in an annual leave request and it was granted, so she joined them there.

They stayed at the Inn of the Mountain Gods, and spent their time reading, sleeping, and visiting with Jeffrey Chee and other old friends. Randall’s grandfather took a special liking to Hunter, and they spent evenings around a pine log fire, talking and laughing. Randall, not as much as the others. He still grieved.

One evening at Grandfathers fire, Randall said, “I’m not sure I want to stay in Florida.”

Grandfather didn’t say anything, just sat there with the blanket around his shoulders while the others talked.

John said, “You sure?”

Hunter refilled all their old fashioned glasses with ice and Maker’s Mark, then sat down beside Grandfather. The sky here was so beautiful, and the fragrant pines perfuming the night air, she could understand.

Grandfather said, “Don’t decide here. It will affect your decision. You love this place, you always have, but that doesn’t mean you don’t love other places, too. It’s not either–or, you can love many. It is the person you miss, grandson. Stay here as long as you want, but make your decision after you return to Florida and have time to think.” He sipped his Maker’s, and nodded at Hunter, saluting her with the glass. “Put your feet in the water there, smell the breeze, go fishing a lot, and then decide.”

Randall was silent a moment, then said, “Okay. That’s what I’ll do.” He looked at his friends and his grandfather, put his glass out in a toast, and the others all clinked their glasses to his. He said, “Here’s to best friends and wise family.”

Only Grandfather saw the glint of a tear in the corner of Randall’s eye.

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Thanks for reading TONTON, the 4th story in the Hunter Kincaid Mystery series. I hope you enjoyed it.

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Included on the following pages is an excerpt from HUNTER’S MOON, the next (5th) Hunter Kincaid novel, coming soon!

HUNTER’S MOON (excerpt)

Chapter 1

Hunter found the body facedown in a flat expanse of rock, gravel and thin alluvial soil dotted with prickly pear, ocotillo, and the dark green creosote bushes that thrive in the Big Bend area.

As she waited for her partner to arrive in the Jeep, Hunter squatted on her heels Indian style, wiped the sweat and grit from her face with a handkerchief and looked over things. From his tracks and the position of his body, the man seemed to be heading for Tinaja Prieta Canyon, in the eastern edge of the Chinati mountain range.

She heard the vehicle coming and stood up so he could see her. Gary stopped the Jeep twenty yards from the scene and walked to Hunter’s side. He squatted on his heels beside her and said, “What have we got?”